The software

The interface with which the Optojump Next system is managed is divided into three main sections: Athlete data, Tests and Results.

Athletes

This is the section in which the profiles of the athletes or patients are created and catalogued. Each profile can contain numerous items of data (personal data, notes, photos of the athlete, etc.). Each individual can be inserted into one or more groups or subgroups. The athlete data is therefore completely open to modulation or modification in accordance with the user’s needs, and if required can be imported from other formats (for example Excel).

Tests

This is the nerve centre of the software. It is the part to access in order to design and configure new tests (jump, reaction, running, etc.) and to perform tests, choosing from the predefined tests and those created by the user. It is also possible to program sequences of tests in order to make one or more athletes perform several tests.

During performance of the test, the user receives three types of feedback in real time: numerical, graphical and video (from one or two webcams). Once the test has been confirmed, all three types of data are saved and remain available for immediate review or future consultation. If the user so requires, information not of interest can be temporarily hidden (for example, if it is the video that is important for the user, the images can be viewed full-screen and the numerical data can be hidden).

Results and video analysis

In this section it is possible to retrieve previously performed tests at any moment. The images can be compared with the data (numerical as well as graphical). In addition, the video support is of great help to the user in “remembering” how the athlete performed a test weeks or months before. Thanks to the “video memory” any anomalies in the numerical data are easily identified.The video images are synchronised with the acquired values. This makes it possible to ascertain exactly what happened when a certain data item was acquired (for example, if a contact time seems too long, the cause of this can be determined by observing the images at the moment the value was recorded).

The speed of the video can be reduced down to “frame by frame” or still picture. A video analysis utility is also included. This makes it possible to draw on the still picture, thanks to various graphic tools (lines, arcs, circles, ruler, goniometer, etc.). In the Results section it is also possible to compare two or more tests without the help of extra software: for example, it is possible to ascertain the performance of an athlete over a period of time or compare the results of tests performed by two or more different athletes. All the data (numerical as well as graphical) can be printed or exported in the most common formats.